Types of wireless networks include infrastructure-based wireless networks and ad hoc wireless networks such as those based on Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards.
In some wireless networks, vehicles can be equipped with a mobile access point (MAP) which allows one or more mobile host computers in the vehicle to communicate with other nodes or access points. The mobile host computer(s) in the vehicle can be coupled or wired to the mobile access point. Because the vehicle is mobile, the mobile access point can move within communication range or coverage area of different wired access points (APs) and/or different wireless access points. In some cases, the different wired access points (APs) and/or the different wireless access points belong to different subnets or mobility domains. When the mobile access point roams from a coverage area of an AP which belongs to a first subnet to another coverage area of another AP which belongs to a second subnet, the MAP can perform a layer 3 (L3) handoff from an AP of a first subnet to an AP of a second subnet. However, many of these networks do not provide mechanisms for informing devices connected to a MAP about subnet changes.
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